It’s hard to believe as we swelter through this scorching heat, kept awake at night by blazing temperatures and nightly T20 cricket. But footy is just two weeks away.
The first piece of the jigsaw that is footy 2017 is the AFL Womens league. This is uncharted territory, and no-one really knows how it will work.
It’s a league forged in humble beginnings. Just eight teams, only seven rounds.
» Women’s AFL league on The Roar
» All the teams and squad lists for the women’s AFL
» Complete 2017 women’s AFL fixtures
Player payments are modest. The original contracts had a base of just $5,000. Subsequently revised to $8,500. But still very low.
These players aren’t full-time. They work regular jobs during the day before training at night. As AFL players once did.
Without the lure of full-time professionalism, some players were signed before the draft; while players who registered for the draft had the option to refuse an interstate transfer.
And it’ll be all over by the end of March. The grand final of the AFLW comp will be on the opening weekend of the AFL season. Unlike cricket, where the Womens Big Bash is longer than the BBL, the AFLW has been given a very short season.
With such an early start, heat will be a factor. There are day games when the mercury may well soar. Even with quarters reduced to 15 minutes plus time-on; there’ll be fans, ice vests and increased rotations.
There’s a midday game at Blacktown in Round 3; in mid-February. It’s likely to be warm.
Another feature of the AFLW comp is a slightly smaller ball. This will be a challenge for the players, who will be used to the regulation-sized ball. But the smaller ball will increase the distance of kicks.
I had the opportunity recently to have a kick-to-kick with an AFLW ball. And got a decent roost when kicking it.
This may increase the scoring rate and the ability to move the ball from end to end. Many women’s games in local comps have tended to be very low-scoring; so the smaller ball may mean more scores.
In recent years we’ve had womens’ exhibition games. One such game, between the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne during the bye weekend before the finals, produced better TV ratings for Channel Seven than any AFL home-and-away game in that timeslot; albeit that the women’s game wasn’t also on Fox.
Moving to a national league was the logical next step for womens’ footy.
Will it work? Will it succeed? We’ll be interested to find out.
Although at this stage, no-one really knows what a successful AFLW league will look like. Or what the criteria used to determine whether it is successful or otherwise will be.
Crowds and TV ratings will be a key test. Admission for most games will be free. I doubt the crowds will be counted. But, with every game televised, we’ll have some idea how many people are there.
Who will the crowds be? Will we be mainly hearing female voices from the grandstands, or will male supporters embrace the women’s games? Will the meat pies be consumed and the beer flow as freely in women’s games?
Every game will be televised on Fox Footy, with one game per round on Channel Seven. These ratings will be followed with interest.
By February, the Big Bash, home cricket season and the Australian Open will be over. It’s relatively quiet; but the AFLW will still find itself up against NRL trials and the early rounds of the NRL season, the NBL, the A-League and international cricket from India; as well as JLT Challenge trials which are also televised on Fox.
How many will watch the AFLW games on TV? We’ll be keen to find out.
Sponsorship money will be important, and the early signs are positive. There doesn’t seem to be any shortage of sponsors willing to put their name to the AFLW comp and the competing teams.
The standard of football will also be held up to the microscope. Of course it won’t be anything like the AFL players.
Traditionally an amateur level, women are only being paid for the first time in this comp. They’ll be training at night, not having the full-time availability for training, recovery and analysis that male players enjoy.
But they’ll have access to the coaches and facilities that the male players use. The women’s teams will have their own coaches; but those coaches will have the resources of the club that the male coaches take for granted. Rehab management, top-notch training facilities. The tools are in place for a rapid improvement in the quality of women’s footy.
It’s a humble beginning. But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, GWS Giants, Fremantle, Melbourne and Western Bulldogs will start the league off. The remaining ten AFL teams and their supporters will be looking to the day they can become a part of the league.
At the moment, there aren’t enough elite women’s players for 18 teams. In time, we all hope there should be.
The AFLW league is over at the end of March. For the rest of the year, the players will return to the traditional women’s clubs and leagues from which they were recruited.
The AFL will be hoping that an influx of new players will be wanting to join them; and have a go at playing our game. Knowing that there is more interest in female players, and a genuine pathway to professional footy.
Should that happen, the AFLW will be a success.
Pumping Dougie
Guest
LOL
mds1970
Roar Guru
A lot of the women's coverage at the moment is because the AFLW is nearly upon us while the men don't have any games for a few more weeks. There'll be lots more mens content when the JLT Challenge draws closer.
Penster
Roar Guru
RSI of the mouse finger? First world problem PD. After the 3rd in a row, us Hawkers took to complaining on social media about the membership medallion changing from metal to rubber. Welcome to success.
TomC
Roar Guru
I'm not hugely interested in the women's league if I'm totally honest, but I don't feel like I'm being bombarded with articles or having it shoved down my throat. I think you might be overstating it. There is still vastly more coverage for the men's game, mostly puff pieces about such and such training houses down etc, and we can all be confident there'll be an even greater disparity once we get closer to the start of the men's season. After all, we all have to put up with articles appearing that we're not interested in in all spaces. I'd argue we probably have too much power to filter our own news as it is.
Josh
Guest
Hilarious, the female football players are just threatening so they get paid more.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
AFL Women's ✔ @aflwomens Simon Lethlean tells media we're expecting "above 10,000 fans" for next Friday's free Pies-Blues #AFLW opener, now being held at Ikon Park.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
I'm all for the Women's League and creating a pathway for women in our society who want to, to participate in the greatest game in the world. I support the AFL investing in this, just as I support investing in Auskick and grassroots football. I support the AFL marketing the Women's League and creating a national sport competition that women can aspire to, if they want to. BUT ... I wish we as fans of the game we were given more choice about what we want to follow. I'm sick of clicking on the AFL website or my Club's website to be bombarded with articles on women's football, then having to scroll down and sift through to find something that interests me. Can't they create websites that allows us, the public, to filter our choices about what we want to read, without being clogged by articles on Women's football? At the moment, and possibly for decades, the AFLW teams wouldn't be competitive against our local suburban clubs. That's not trying to have a go at the Womens league, it's just being real; they have to start somewhere. So is it reasonable to clog the AFL site with womens league articles? Why not add all the local mens leagues as well and TAC footy? I know marketing people will argue that the AFL needs to shove it down our throats to entrench it in our souls, establish it in our minds and grow its credibility. Other people will say, well you don't have to click on the article. That's fine, except there are so many articles now and surely it's way out of kilter with public interest. Shouldn't we have a choice?
mds1970
Roar Guru
The season opener has been moved, and will now be played at Princes Park.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
AFL looking to shift the venue for the opening game: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-01-22/league-could-move-pies-blues-aflw-season-opener It was going to be at Olympic Park, which was only going to have a capacity of 5,000. A practice game on the weekend between Carlton and Melbourne attracted 2,000 fans, and it wasn't even publicised, so they're thinking of changing the venue to Carlton.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
A preview of the new AFLW ad: http://footyprophet.com/afl-womens-new-tv-commercial-leaked/
Mister Football
Roar Guru
AFL Women's @aflwomens 4m4 minutes ago . @GWSGIANTS captain #AmandaFarrugia talks leadership and her reaction to being told about the captaincy. Watch here http://bit.ly/2jFa1UK
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Girls play footy have launched a new website for a new era: http://girlsplayfooty.com/2017/01/new-year-new-girls-play-footy.html
Maggie
Guest
Thanks for the link MF. I've only listened to one episode so far but I found it really interesting. And the passion those women have for their footy is really exciting!
Truth Bomb
Guest
"Forty per cent of respondents said they would switch, and another 30 per cent said they would consider doing so" Frightening numbers... http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/soccer-wleague-players-eye-switch-to-afl-for-cash-boost-survey-shows-20160907-graudt.html
Mister Football
Roar Guru
I'm not sure about that, Melissa Barbieri thinks otherwise in her article on the SBS site: http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blog/2017/01/06/sleeping-giant-has-woken We just assumed our girls would choose our code because of the lure of the world game across the globe. Yeah, that would work… if only you didn’t live in the best country in the world. Now the sleeping giant has woken. In June 2016, the AFL announced its Inaugural women’s league to start in 2017 with eight teams being named foundation clubs. Clubs fought tooth and nail to be a part of the prestigious eight. Some clubs voicing how disappointed they were after missing out. All while A-League teams are being MADE (well some are) to look after their female counterparts. In my last piece I wrote about the Melbourne City training facility for their W–League team and I pretty much said they were the best in the country. Which is correct if you're only talking about all the A–League teams. The truth is, Carlton Football Club is the team who can boast the best facilities in the country for their women. A friend of mine who has played for the Matildas went to both the City Group and The Carlton facility launches. She found that whilst City was impressive it was the Carlton Football Club that stood out. Most impressive was the recovery area just for the female side of the club, so no need to share ice baths. Which may seem like nothing, but when you are an insecure young female who barely shows skin in front of teammates, can you imagine in front of a whole club? Not to mention the money. Yes, the money.
Josh
Guest
Yawn, no one is dropping football for this garbage sport.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
AFL still in talks over women's prizemoney http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-01-20/afl-still-in-talks-over-womens-prizemoney?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
That's great to hear, Penster. Especially with you being in Sydney and all.
Penster
Roar Guru
We've joined up to GWS womens and will be out there too. Our local club was expecting a bit of interest last year - no way did thry expect to field 6 girls tears in the first season! My girl is playing this year and has brought 4 mates over from soccer too. Finally I get to umpire an Aussie Rules match!
mds1970
Roar Guru
Thanks Mister Football. I'll have to check that out.